


At the end of the day

by dahyunayeon



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, don't really know if it counts as angst tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-05 15:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15866751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahyunayeon/pseuds/dahyunayeon
Summary: The one where Hyunjin is too busy paying attention to Jinsoul to notice the way Heejin looks at her.





	1. I

Heejin tapped her pencil against her desk, glancing at Hyunjin intently. Lately, she caught herself looking at her friend too much, but luckily the younger girl didn’t seem to notice. Heejin knew she was staring again when someone snapped their fingers in front of her face, bringing her out of her zoned out state. She turned around to see Chaewon giving her a tired look, almost like saying _again? Really?_

Heejin shrugged, not feeling like getting scolded by Chaewon again, and returned her attention to Hyunjin, only this time she noticed that the girl wasn’t paying attention to class, but looking at the hallway where a tall blonde was talking with other students. Hyunjin seemed to be completely entranced just by the blonde’s presence, resting her head in her hands and letting out dreamy sighs.

“Chae, who’s that?” Heejin asked Chaewon nodding her head towards the blonde, and her friend gave her an annoyed look, as she was actually paying attention to the teacher.

“The tall one? Jung Jinsoul, she’s the new member of the student council,” Chaewon explained and went back to taking notes, hushing her friend when Heejin tried to ask more questions. Instead, she returned her focus to Hyunjin, who was still staring at Jinsoul with slightly blushed cheeks. Heejin pouted and turned her scribbled notebook page around to copy what Chaewon was writing down.

Heejin remained quiet for the rest of the class, stopping herself from looking at Hyunjin again. She gave up on writing the notes after five minutes and started doodling on her page again, drawing hearts and big ‘H’ letters.  When the bell rang they gathered their stuff and Chaewon excused herself, saying she had to rush to meet Hyejoo, leaving the two girls alone. However, Hyunjin left hurriedly too, leaving Heejin standing by herself in the middle of the classroom. She followed Hyunjin and saw the girl nervously approaching the council members that were putting some posters up on the walls.

“H-hey,  girls” Hyunjin said shyly and the three girls turned their attention to her.

“Oh, hey Hyunjinnie, how are you?” Haseul greeted her and Hyunjin smiled nervously.

“I’m fine, kinda tired but, you know, fine,” Hyunjin laughed awkwardly and Vivi looked at her amused before returning to cutting the tape. “Um, I don’t think we have met, you’re Jinsoul right?” Hyunjin asked and Jinsoul nodded, smiling.

“I am. I’m guessing you’re Hyunjin?”

“Yup, that’s me,” Hyunjin realized she didn’t know what else to say, but thankfully Haseul came to her rescue.

“So, where’s Heejin? It’s weird to see you two apart.” Hyunjin then remembered how she had ditched her friend and turned around quickly, only to find said girl walking towards her with a frown. “Oh, there she is, how are you Heejinnie?” Haseul asked sweetly.

“I’ve been better, to be honest,” Heejin said trying her best to smile for Haseul, nodding at Vivi who returned the gesture and completely ignored Jinsoul.

“Are the classes too hard? I know your year can be difficult.”

“Yeah, I guess you could say so… Anyway, what’s all of this for?” Heejin mumbled pointing to the shiny posters hanging on the walls.

“We’re having a fair to raise funds for the council. As the new team, we are planning a huge party at the end of the year so we have to start earning as much money as we can. You can help if you want,” Haseul offered excitedly, looking at her friends expectantly.

“We can send them to the kissing booth,” Vivi joked, enjoying the way the girls’ cheeks reddened.

“No way, I told you we haven’t decided on that booth, and if we did, I’m not putting these kids there,” Haseul scolded Vivi, but the pink haired girl just chuckled and winked at the younger girls before returning to her job.

“You can help in the food stands or some of the games,” Jinsoul spoke up and, while Hyunjin smiled widely and nodded enthusiastically, Heejin just rolled her eyes.

“Yes, we would love to,” Hyunjin assured and Heejin looked at her annoyed.

“We?”

“Yes, come on Heekkie, it will be fun,” She gave her friend pleading eyes and Heejin had no option but to agree. Even if she denied it every time her friends teased her, she had a soft spot for Hyunjin, which made her do things she really didn’t want to do just because the younger girl asked; like going to watch a horror movie, cheating on an exam so Hyunjin wouldn’t fail, and now this, agreeing to help Haseul with her fun fair just so Hyunjin could be around Jinsoul. Her friends call her whipped, she calls herself a dumbass.

 

//

 

Heejin tried to act like it didn’t bother her, act like her heart didn’t ache every time Hyunjin mentioned Jinsoul. She was fooling absolutely no one, as her friends could see right through her. That is, all her friends except Hyunjin. The two girls used to be inseparable, but now Hyunjin spent as much time with Jinsoul as possible. They both helped the council with the planning, but Hyunjin managed to ignore Heejin and focus all her attention on Jinsoul. But Heejin acted like it didn’t matter; like she didn’t care.

Chaewon knew it wasn’t like this at all, her being the one to catch Heejin every time she was down. Heejin felt sorry about Chaewon having to constantly care for her, insisting she should use her free time being with Hyejoo instead of comforting a crying Heejin, but Chaewon was the kind of person to do everything they possibly could for their friends.

Their dynamics changed a lot, but Hyunjin didn’t seem to notice. Before, the three girls would spend the recess together sharing snacks and laughing. Now, Hyunjin hanged around the senior’s classroom while Heejin went in the courtyard, sometimes with Chaewon, sometimes alone. Even when Hyunjin was with them, she was often spaced out, didn’t pay attention to Heejin or was glued to her phone, waiting for Jinsoul to reply to her texts.

And when Hyunjin was sad because Jinsoul didn’t reply, Heejin had mixed emotions; she knew she should be sad for her friend, but she couldn’t help but feel hopeful that Hyunjin would forget about the blonde and things would go back to normal.

After two weeks Heejin grew tired of sulking and decided that she would stop caring about who Hyunjin placed her focus on. She wouldn’t care at all.

If only it were that easy.

When Chaewon and Hyejoo started officially dating, both Hyunjin and Heejin were happy for their friend and loved seeing her with Hyejoo. They started hanging out together, so Hyejoo’s friend Yerim also started tagging along. They all clicked, Yerim was funny and made Heejin forget about the whole Hyunjin issue for a while. Even if she still had to deal with Hyunjin obsessing over Jinsoul every time they helped the council, she felt better now when she spent hours texting Yerim after school. She used to do that with Hyunjin, but now the other girl took a long time to reply, so Heejin just stopped trying to talk to her. She basically started ignoring Hyunjin, but Hyunjin didn’t really notice.

Heejin and Yerim started hanging out by themselves a lot, doing all the things Heejin used to do with Hyunjin. And she had a really good time, it was refreshing to be around Yerim, but at the end of the day, when she laid alone on her bed, she couldn’t help but shed a few tears thinking about how much she missed her friend.

Heejin had never said it out loud, but she knew. She knew she had a crush on Hyunjin; Chaewon knew too, and it seemed like Yerim did as well. Heejin hadn’t told her, but Yerim asked her one night when they were playing video games in Yerim’s room.

“You like Hyunjin, don’t you?”

Heejin bit her lip and paused the game to look at Yerim. The younger girl was smiling at her encouragingly and put her controller aside to hold Heejin’s hand. “I see the way you look at her, Heejin. I also see the way she looks at Jinsoul, and I know you’re not talking to anyone about this, but I think you should. It’s not good to bottle things up. So, if you want to talk, I’m willing to listen.”

And so Heejin talked for hours about how much she liked Hyunjin. Saying it aloud made her feel all kinds of ways: anxious, happy, hopeful, but most importantly, relieved. She talked about how she met Hyunjin back when they started kindergarten together, and how she realized she liked her in their second year of high school; how at first she didn’t know why she liked watching Hyunjin play sports so much, but how everything clicked after a while; how she loved when Hyunjin stayed over at her house and the way Hyunjin would hug her when they cuddled.

And Yerim listened to her attentively, commenting here and there and encouraging Heejin to say everything she had been holding inside for so long. When Heejin was done, she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her, and she hugged Yerim to thank her. However, she felt a few tears in her eyes when she realized she had lost all of that stuff; how Hyunjin didn’t hold her hand anymore, how she didn’t walk her home like she used to, and how she no longer cared about her.

Yerim tried to assure her that it wasn’t the case, that Hyunjin just had a crush and that it would go away. But even if Jinsoul would never return Hyunjin’s feelings, that didn’t mean the younger girl’s would magically disappear.

Storking Heejin’s hair, Yerim promised her things would get better soon, and that they should enjoy their time together for now. Eventually, Hyunjin would come back, and Heejin would be able to smile brightly again. Yerim couldn’t wait.

 

//

 

Hyunjin was actually clueless. All of her attention was focused on Jinsoul, all the time. In class, she would stare at the door all the time to see if Jinsoul would walk by; at recess, she would hang out with her friends but her gaze would be on the group of seniors hanging out in the other side of the courtyard. So when Jinsoul texted her on a Sunday evening asking her to go to the council room the next morning after class, Hyunjin was ecstatic. Her mind created a million scenarios about what Jinsoul could possibly want. In the wildest one, she confessed her love for Hyunjin and asked her out. Hyunjin knew it wasn’t very likely, but she allowed herself to daydream.

Monday came around and Hyunjin couldn’t focus at all during her classes, too eager for the day to end so she could go see Jinsoul. When it was finally time, she hurriedly said goodbye to her friends and ran towards the room.

But her smile fell when she turned a corner and saw something that made her heart break. Jinsoul was against the wall, fingers tangled in some girl’s hair, kissing her. Hyunjin recognized her as Kim Jungeun, some older girl who was part of the volleyball team. Jungeun was grabbing Jinsoul’s waist while the taller girl pulled at her lower lip with her teeth, and Hyunjin felt incredibly uncomfortable. Silently, she turned around and started making her way back. She entered the bathroom and got into one of the stalls, sliding down the wall and burying her head in her knees. She couldn’t get the image of the two girls kissing out of her mind. She was breathing heavily, trying really hard not to cry. She splashed cold water on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Was she not pretty enough? What did Jungeun have that she didn’t?

Some first years walked into the bathroom and Hyunjin quickly dried her tears, walking slowly towards the council room again. Luckily, the hallway was empty this time, and when she reached the room she could hear muffled talking, so she inched closer trying to hear what the person was saying.

“You should be thankful it was me who caught you and not Haseul or a teacher, otherwise you would have gotten in serious problems. I know about the hormones and all that, but really, try to at least take it to a bathroom stall or, I don’t know, an empty classroom; just don’t do it in the middle of the hallway.”

“I know, I’m sorry ok? It won’t happen again,” Hyunjin recognized that voice as Jinsoul, but she didn’t know who the other person was. Suddenly, the door opened and she came face to face with Jungeun, whose hair was slightly disheveled and with a bit of smudged lipstick on her lips.

“Hey kid, are you looking for someone?” Jungeun asked and Hyunjin didn’t like how she acted like she owned the place.

“Yes, I’m looking for Jinsoul,” Jungeun opened the door wider and gestured for her to come in.

“See you later?” Jungeun asked Jinsoul, who nodded from the desk she was sitting on and winked and the other blonde. Jungeun left and Hyunjin felt her heart crumble, but she kept a neutral expression. Vivi was also in the room, the one scolding the blondes, Hyunjin assumed. Vivi was gathering some papers by a locker, and Jinsoul told Hyunjin to sit wherever she liked. She started explaining some things they would need for the fair, as it was the next week, and Hyunjin tried her best to pay attention, but all she could think about was Jungeun kissing Jinsoul. When they were done, Hyunjin hurried out of the classroom.

All of her friends were gone already, but she didn’t feel like going home yet. So she went to the first place she could think of, Heejin’s house. As she made her way she realized it had been a while since she’d gone there; she even almost forgot how to get there. When she arrived, she knocked on the door. After a minute, someone opened it, but it wasn’t Heejin. Instead, Yerim stood at the doorstep, munching on a cookie (which Hyunjin recognized to be the ones Heejin’s mom baked) and looking at her with surprise.

“Hyunjin, what are you doing here?”

“Um, I could ask you the same thing. Is Heejin home?”

“She’s taking a shower. She fell on mud on our way here from the square, it was really funny once I made sure she wasn’t hurt, you should have seen it,” Yerim laughed at the memory and Hyunjin felt something weird bubbling in her chest. “Anyway, I guess  you can wait for her inside.”

“It’s ok, I will talk to her later. Just… don’t tell her I came by, ok?” Hyunjin asked slowly getting away from the door, and Yerim agreed even though she looked a bit confused. Hyunjin left without saying anything else, and she realized she had no one else to go to. Chaewon was probably busy with Hyejoo, and she didn’t want to bother her.

She hadn’t expected to find Yerim at Heejin’s house, so her mind was going over what could the girl be doing there. They were friends, maybe they were just hanging out together. Yeah, that was probably it.

Hyunjin decided to just go back home. She didn’t have lunch, instead, she just walked to her room and slumped down on her bed. She grabbed the stuffed bunny Heejin won for her once and hugged it as she stared at the ceiling. She remembered how hurt she felt after seeing Jinsoul kiss someone else, even if the blonde had never shown any romantic interest in her. Hyunjin grabbed her phone and opened Heejin’s chat; her last connection had been early that morning and Hyunjin scrolled up to see old texts. Most of them were from Heejin, and almost all of them had been left on read. The more she scrolled, the more Hyunjin realized how bad she had been neglecting her friend. The texts had eventually stopped; Heejin had given up on trying to get her friendship back. And Hyunjin thought it was too late already; Heejin liked Yerim more than she liked her and Hyunjin would have to deal with it.

She cried into the pillow until she fell asleep, thinking about blonde girls kissing and the hands that used to hold her own all the time. She was awoken by a buzzing under her pillow. She felt a bit disoriented, so it took her a while to realize it was her phone. She read the text she had just received and didn’t know how to feel when she saw it was from Heejin.

**_Heekkie [03:21 p.m]:_ ** _Hey, is everything ok? Yerim told me you came by and that you were acting weird._

_Stupid Yerim,_ she thought.

**_Hyunjinnie [03:25 p.m]:_ ** _Not really, can we meet up?_

She waited for a while, nervously picking at her bed cover until her phone buzzed again.

**_Heekkie [03:32 p.m]:_ ** _I’m kinda busy now, but I’ll see you tomorrow._

And then she went offline. Hyunjin clutched the phone and let her head fall on the pillow again. She didn’t blame Heejin for choosing Yerim over her, after all, she had been the one to ignore her in the first place. But Heejin still cared, clearly, otherwise she wouldn’t have texted her to ask if everything was alright. Hyunjin let that be her comfort as she rolled over on her bed, deciding to keep sleeping. Maybe then she would manage to stop thinking about Jinsoul.

 

//

 

Hyunjin stood by the food stand, boringly giving people their change. She thought she would be working with Heejin, but the girl had moved to the water gun booth and had left Hyunjin working with some loud girl named Jiwoo. Hyunjin didn’t know her, so she didn’t try to chat with her, instead choosing to focus on the money she was handling. She stared at Heejin, who was only a few stands away from her. They hadn’t had the chance to talk; Hyunjin had tried many times but Heejin never had the time. She also looked at the fortune wheel where Jinsoul was giving some kid the prize he won. Hyunjin had stopped texting her or trying to grab her attention, and it seemed Jinsoul hadn’t even noticed. Hyunjin saw her with Jungeun a lot, holding hands and kissing on the hallways. Her heart still hurt a bit, but she was starting to let go. She could not let go of Heejin, though. Her friend was always with Yerim, didn’t reply to her texts and ignored her during class. Hyunjin knew it wasn’t fair for her to be mad, after all, Heejin was doing the same Hyunjin did for the past weeks. Still, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Jiwoo asked suddenly and Hyunjin looked at her surprised.

“Who?”

“That girl you keep staring at.”

Hyunjin knew Jiwoo was talking about Heejin, but she acted like she didn’t know.

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“That’s because you’re sitting here staring at her instead of doing something about it.”

“It’s not like there’s anything to do.”

“Ah, so I’m right,” Hyunjin looked at Jiwoo annoyed, but the girl’s smile didn’t falter. “Look, I can handle the booth by myself, please, go talk to her. I think your sad face is actually sending the clients away.”

“It’s useless,” Hyunjin said hiding her face in her hands, “I’ve fucked everything up.”

“Well, kiddo, I just want to tell you she looks this way once in a while too, so, do with that information what you must.”

Jiwoo went back to talking to the clients, and Hyunjin tried to keep her gaze on the money to see if Heejin would look at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Heejin stealing quick glances, but just for a second before she went back to the game.

The fair came to an end and Hyunjin still hadn’t talked to Heejin. Everyone who helped at the event was gathered together while Haseul thanked them, and Hyunjin could see Yerim resting her head on Heejin’s shoulder. She felt that weird feeling in her chest again and left without anyone noticing before she felt worse. She leaned against a wall outside the school, wishing she could just apologize to Heejin.

Her opportunity came after a few minutes, when Heejin walked out of the school, _alone._ She stopped when she saw Hyunjin, but quickly acted like she didn’t notice her and tried to walk past her. Hyunjin grabbed her wrist, lightly as to not hurt her friend, but Heejin didn’t really complain.

“Can we talk? Please,” Hyunjin begged and Heejin agreed, albeit reluctantly.

They started walking towards Heejin’s house, just like they used to every day after school, but they did it in silence. When they reached the house, Heejin led her into her house and then into her room. It had been way too long since she had been there. Heejin had new posters, a new stuffed animal on her bed, and new pictures on her desk. Hyunjin felt relieved when she saw their picture together was still in the same place, but then Heejin cleared her throat and Hyunjin remembered what she was there for.

“I need to apologize,” Hyunjin began, but Heejin cut her off with, “ _you think so?”_ “Look, I know I fucked up, ok? I totally forgot about you and the others just to go after a girl who never saw me as anything more than a kid from school.”

“What, it didn’t work out with your beloved Jinsoulie?” Heejin asked and she knew her words would hurt, but at the moment she didn’t care.

“Of course it didn’t. She’s with some older girl. Some pretty, special, athletic girl.”

“You’re all of those things and more, Hyun,” Heejin interrupted, her need to comfort her friend bigger than her need to be petty.

“Doesn’t matter, really, I don’t know what I was thinking. I know I was an imbecile, and I know you’re friends with Yerim now, but can you please forgive me? I really miss my best friend.”

Heejin gave in and hugged Hyunjin, swatting her arm. “You huge idiot. I forgive you, but if you do that again you’re dead to me.” Hyunjin giggled and returned the hug, glad that she had her friend back. “And you don’t need to be jealous of Yerimmie, I love her a lot but she could never replace you.”

Hyunjin pressed her cheek against Heejin’s head and sighed, comforted by her best friend’s body against hers. “You really are my best friend, did you know that? I love you Heekkie.”

And Heejin sighed, an unsettling feeling on her tummy. “I love you too, Hyunjinnie.”

One day she would say it, but it would mean something else. What she really wants that _I love you_ to mean. But not that day. At that moment, she would just enjoy having her best friend back.

She would wait a bit more.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinsoul gets to play cupid, and Heejin realizes maybe Jinsoul wasn't so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is for everyone who asked for a second part, I hope this is what you were expecting :)

Hyunjin was confused, to say the least.

Her friendship with Heejin was slowly going back to normal, even if the older girl still resented Hyunjin a bit. The only difference was, now Hyunjin had to get used to having Yerim around.

It’s not that she didn’t like Yerim, she was nice, but she was always all over Heejin; whether it was holding her hand when they walked in the street (like Hyunjin used to do) or sitting on Heejin’s lap when they watched movies. And to make it worse, they often hung out with Chaewon and Hyejoo who were sickeningly in love, so Hyunjin ended up feeling like she was fifth wheeling, what with her friends snuggling as close as possible and with Heejin laughing at every little thing Yerim said.

_At this point, I’m gonna be the neighborhood’s cat lady._

What was bugging Hyunjin the most, though, was _why_ it bothered her so much to see Heejin and Yerim together. Heejin didn’t ignore her when Yerim was around, and they still hung out by themselves, just the two of them; so why did it bother her so much when Yerim kissed Heejin’s cheek but not when Hyejoo kissed Chaewon’s?

Hyunjin was very, very confused.

She sat outside the school building waiting for Heejin, who was inside waiting for exam results with Yerim. Hyunjin wasn’t a very patient person, and the loud giggling girls from across the street weren’t helping her with her bad mood. Hyunjin was spaced out with her brow furrowed when someone nudged her side with their foot. She looked up annoyed, ready to snap at whoever it was, but she was surprised when she saw it was Jinsoul.

“What’s up with the long face, Hyun?” Jinsoul asked, sitting down next to Hyunjin. Hyunjin wasn’t sure if she should tell Jinsoul the truth or not, but she really didn’t have anyone else to ask for help, so she thought she might as well give it a shot.

“Girl problems, I guess… do you think you can give me any advice?”

“Oh! Who would have thought you had girl problems, what with those ones across the street gushing about you.”

“What? Why do you think they’re talking about me?”

“Well, they keep looking this way, giggling and that tall one is hiding behind her friend because she noticed you staring. Anyway, I’m guessing your problem is about Heejin?”

“Huh? How do you know it’s about Heejin? I mean, why do you think it’s about her?” Hyunjin looked at Jinsoul wide-eyed, upset that she was so easy to read. It’s not like she was obvious, was she?

“Oh, come on, you’re together all the time and I’ve seen the way you look at her... I’ve also seen the way you glare at Yerim, and let me tell you, kid, you need to chill before you burn a hole through her skull.”

Hyunjin stayed with her mouth slightly open, trying to collect her thoughts.

“So you think I like her?”

“You don’t?”

“That’s the problem, I don’t know if I do.”

“Ok then, let’s talk. Tell me what you feel when you’re with her,” Hyunjin thought for a moment, not being able to suppress the smile on her lips when she remembered all the memories she and Heejin had together.

“Well, she makes me happy, and I feel comfortable with her, like I can really be myself, you know? She’s the only one who doesn’t look at me weirdly when I bark. And she holds my hands when they’re cold; her hands are really tiny next to mine, it’s actually a bit ridiculous. And when I’m sad or worried she hugs me and I feel better. But lately, she does all those things with Yerim, too. She lets Yerim sit on her lap and they’re always with their arms interlaced, and sometimes when I just want to be in silence with Heejin like we used to, Yerim won’t stop talking and Heejin won’t let her talk alone so they start chatting and I kinda miss just… being with Heejin without doing anything but still having a good time, you know what I mean?” Hyunjin glanced at Jinsoul and saw the blonde was face-palming, smiling widely as she shook her head.

“Girl, if that’s not having a crush I don’t know what it is; I would even dare say you’re in love.”

“But it doesn’t matter, does it? She probably likes Yerim now… We had a fight recently cause I neglected her for weeks, all for a… crush I had,” Hyunjin said hesitantly.

“Hmm, I see, but don’t say it doesn’t matter! Your feelings are important, I think you should let her know-”

‘I can’t do that! She’s not gonna reciprocate them and it’s gonna be awkward and eventually, she’s just gonna drift away from me and get with Yerim.”

“Hyunjin, I may not know Heejin that much, but believe me, that could never happen,” Jinsoul looked at Hyunjin like she knew something the brunette didn’t, and Hyunjin’s head was a mess. “I’ll help you. It’s gonna be _the_ best love confession this town has ever seen,” Jinsoul clapped her hands excitedly and stood up, brushing the dust off her skirt without giving Hyunjin a chance to complain. “I’ll come up with a plan, don’t worry. For now, my advice is to try to pay more attention to Heejin’s gestures, not only towards Yerim but also the ones towards you.”

And then Jinsoul left, leaving Hyunjin feeling more confused than before, but she didn’t have much time to overthink as she saw Heejin and Yerim walking towards her. Hyunjin’s tummy felt weird when she saw the way Heejin clung to Yerim’s arms, but cooled down when Heejin smiled at her; then her stomach twisted again when Heejin kissed her cheek.

“Thanks for waiting, and sorry for the delay, the teacher was taking forever to grade my test.”

“N-no problem Heekkie, did you get a good grade?” Hyunjin asked trying to play it cool, but she knew she was a mess.

“Yup, I got an eighty! All thanks to you, my dearest math tutor,” Heejin hugged Hyunjin and the taller girl hated the way her heart skipped a beat. Then she remembered Yerim was standing beside them, smiling at them suspiciously. When Heejin pulled apart, Hyunjin cleared her throat and smiled at Yerim.

“Should we get going?”

“Oh, you guys can go, I’m going the other way today,” After Heejin told Yerim to text her once she was home, they began walking to Heejin’s house silently. Heejin nudged Hyunjin playfully before holding her hand, and Hyunjin was starting to understand what people meant with the whole butterflies in your stomach thing. Yes, she had liked Jinsoul, but what she felt for Heejin was different somehow. When they reached the front porch, Heejin stood in the steps making herself a bit taller than her friend. Still holding her hands, Heejin leaned it a bit and Hyunjin was afraid her soul would leave her body.

“Wanna come in?” Heejin said softly and Hyunjin was sure she was gonna drop dead right there. She held her breath for a minute, but she really wasn’t able to think properly, and having Heejin so close to her made her mind feel fuzzy, almost in a trance. So she did something stupid; she leaned in and kissed the corner of Heejin’s mouth, letting her lips linger there for a good five seconds. When she realized what she had done, she stepped away from Heejin trying to avoid her gaze at all costs.

“I- I can’t, s-sorry but I have to ga- go! I have to go! See you later!” Hyunjin stuttered as she ran away from Heejin’s house, too afraid to look back.

Too bad she didn’t, otherwise she would have seen a blushing Heejin leaning against the wall, with her hand on her chest feeling her heart beat a billion times per second.

 

//

 

Hyunjin slammed her bedroom door and dropped to the floor, grabbing her hair and feeling absolutely terrified. She had fucked everything up this time for sure, there was no way Heejin wouldn’t want to talk about what she did, and Hyunjin wasn’t looking forward to dealing with that. She took her phone from her pocket and quickly dialed Jinsoul, not really thinking it through, but thankfully Jinsoul picked up after a few rings. The blonde couldn't even say hi when Hyunjin was already yelling about how she had messed up and how Heejin would hate her now.

“Hyun, calm down, tell me what happened.”

“I kissed Heejin!”

“You did? That’s great!”

“No Jinsoul, it’s not great! She probably feels really awkward right now and hates me!” Hyunjin heard Jinsoul mumbling something on the other end of the line, probably talking with someone else, and then she finally replied.

“I’m gonna need you to chill, kid. And don’t forget to breathe. I’m sure Heejin is just flustered but I doubt she’s mad or something like that.”

“How could you know?” Another minute of shuffling heard on the phone passed and Hyunjin was feeling more and more anxious.

“Let’s just say I have some reliable intel… we’re gonna come up with something, don’t worry.”

“What are you even talking about Jinsoul?! I just ruined my friendship with-”

“I told you it’s not like that! Just give me a second ok.”

“But how would you know how Heejin feels?” More mumbling and some giggles, and Hyunjin was really close to throwing her phone out the window.

“You know Jungeun right?”

“Yes…” Hyunjin said, a bit through gritted teeth.

“Well, she’s friends with Yerim. And… well, let’s just say Yerim has a hard time keeping her mouth shut. Are you doing anything right now?”

“I’m free right now, why?”

“Ok, text me your address, I’ll pick you up.”

Hyunjin had never felt so lost, and she regretted ever asking Jinsoul for advice. Still, the girl was more than willing to help her, and Hyunjin didn’t have many options, so whatever Jinsoul came up with would have to do. After all, Jinsoul was dating Jungeun, maybe she could teach Hyunjin a trick or two.

“Ok, I’ll wait for you.”

 

//

 

“Psst.”

Hyunjin rolled her eyes.

“Pssssst.”

“What do you want?”

“Everything’s set for tonight, right?”

“Yes, now shut up.”

Hyunjin glared at Chaewon, wondering why she ever thought letting her in on Jinsoul’s plan was a good idea. Chaewon was terrible at keeping secrets and was probably the least discreet person Hyunjin knew. They were taking a test, with Heejin only a few desks away from them, but Chaewon thought it was a good idea to ask her right then.

“Hyejoo got the stuff.”

“God, Chae, shut up.”

“Kim, Park, is there any problem?” The teacher asked from her desk, and both girls quickly sat up straight on their chairs.

“No miss, sorry to disturb.”

“Hm, the next time you’re getting your test taken way, got it?”

“Yes, Miss,” Both girls said in unison and Hyunjin gave Chaewon a glare before turning back to her exam. Not that she could focus, anyway. Her mind was on Heejin, who for some reason had avoided the subject of, well, _the incident_ , as Hyunjin called it. Hyunjin hadn’t tried to talk about it either, but she was sure Heejin would at least text her about it, but she hadn’t said a word.  Not to her, at least, but Yerim clearly knew a lot, since she kept giving Hyunjin a smile that made her feel very awkward.

Heejin was avoiding her, though, Hyunjin could tell. The older girl took every chance she had to be as far from Hyunjin as possible, but if the blush on her cheeks was any indicator, Hyunjin knew she wasn’t doing it because she was mad.

Still, that didn’t stop her from being a ball of anxiety. She glanced at her paper, not a single question done and thought she might at least try to come up with something. Heejin would scold her if she failed.

But Heejin was also having a hard time concentrating, she could feel Hyunjin’s stare on her and she knew they needed to talk, but she couldn’t face that just yet. What if it had been a mistake? Heejin didn’t want to get her hopes up.

And while the two girls pined for each other, Jinsoul rejoiced in getting to play cupid.

 

//

 

When the final bell rang, Hyunjin excused herself saying she had some errands so she couldn’t walk Heejin home, and looked at Chaewon weirdly before leaving. Heejin had been expecting that Hyunjin would avoid her a bit, but she found the looks between her two friends rather suspicious.

What she did not expect at all, though, was Hyunjin getting into Jinsoul’s car outside the school building. She stopped in her tracks, feeling how her heart broke. Yerim, who was beside her, noticed her friend’s change of mood and when she saw Jinsoul driving away with Hyunjin, she panicked. She was sure that if she talked, she would blow the cover, so she gestured for Chaewon, who was walking behind them, to hurry up and comfort Heejin. Chaewon hugged Heejin and rubbed her arms, wiping the lone tear rolling down Heejin’s cheek.

‘Heekkie, I promise you it’s not what it looks like,” Chaewon tried to calm Heejin down, but Heejin only sighed, drying her cheeks.

“It’s ok Chae, if Jinsoul makes her happy then she should be around her.”

“But Jinsoul is dati-”

“I’m really sorry Wonnie, but I need to go, ok? I’ll text you later.” Heejin headed home, dragging her feet through the ground, not giving her friends a chance to explain.

“The plan better work,” Chaewon huffed, and Yerim tried to give her an assuring smile.

“I’m sure it will. Believe me, she will fall for it in a second.”

 

 

 

What was supposed to be a fun Friday night with Yerim, ended up being a comfort-Heejin-as-she-cries-her-eyes-out kind of night. Heejin felt really sad, but Yerim convinced her to go to her house anyway; after all, Yerim’s parents were out of town and Heejin didn’t want to leave her friend alone. Still, she couldn’t help but weep as Yerim tried really hard not to let anything slip, comforting Heejin with vague words and avoiding her gaze. Heejin noticed this and confronted Yerim about it.

“You guys have been acting really weird today. What is it that you’re not telling me?”

“We’re not hiding anything Heekkie, why would we do that?”

“To protect my feelings?”

“I think it’s a bit late for that…” Heejin glared at Yerim as she blew her nose with a tissue, and Yerim knew it was time to change the subject before she messed up.

“Look, I’m sure it’s nothing like that, ok? Let’s watch a movie, yeah?”

“I don’t want to watch a movie! I just want to kiss Kim Hyunjin!” Heejin exclaimed before burying her face in a cushion, and just a second later she heard someone shouting outside.

“Jeon Heejin!”

Heejin looked up terrified and saw a very amused Yerim trying to hold her laughter. “Did I just hear Hyunjin screaming my name outside your house after I just yelled that I want to kiss her?”

“Maybe you should look out the window and find out.”

 

//

 

Hyunjin sat on the passenger seat of Jinsoul’s car, pulling at the neck of her shirt before Hyejoo scolded her.

“I told you to stop messing with it! You’re gonna ruin the bow.”

“It’s tight ok, it’s choking me and right now I don’t need that.”

“Oh, but later you do?” Jinsoul joked and Hyunjin looked at her exasperated, really close to just jumping out the car and running away all the way to Russia.

“Leave her alone Soul, she’s stressed enough without all the teasing.”

“Thanks, Wonnie,” Hyunijn huffed and rested her head on the cold window, trying to calm down.

“It’s gonna go well, you’ll see.”

‘She’s gonna laugh at me.”

“But with love!” Hyunjin met Chaewon’s eyes through the rear view mirror and Chaewon could see her friend was not having it.

“Ok Romeo, we’re here, so get your shit together,” Jinsoul said, parking in front of Yerim’s house. When she noticed Hyunjin had her cheeks puffed and no intention of getting out of the car, she grabbed her hand and made Hyunjin look at her. “Listen, Hyun, I promise you it will be alright. Heejin’s not gonna laugh at you, and whatever happens, she’ll still love you. From what I’m told, you two have been together since you were like five. You’ll be ok, and who knows, maybe by the end of the night you’ll have a girlfriend.”

Hyunjin really appreciated Jinsoul’s words as they helped her calm down, and with new found bravery she got out of the car. She marched up to the sidewalk with Hyejoo and Chaewon trailing behind her, while Jinsoul waited across the street leaning against her car.

Chaewon fixed Hyunjin’s bow tie and hair, and when she deemed her ready, snapped a picture. Hyunjin thought she heard Chaewon mutter something about _showing it to your kids in the future,_ but she decided that for now, she would let that slip. Hyejoo handed her the boombox, which was extremely heavy, making Hyunjin sweat a little bit.

“Do I really have to hold this over my head?”

“Yes! You know Heejin loves those old romantic movies, you gotta do it just like that!”

Hyunjin sighed and thanked her friend, who gave her a thumbs up as Hyejoo pulled out a film camera and started recording her.

“Here goes nothing… Jeon Heejin!” Hyunjin waited a few seconds, and when she saw the curtains opening she pressed play on the boombox and lifted it. Heejin’s heart stopped when she saw Hyunjin standing in Yerim’s front yard, wearing a suit (“ _A freaking suit!”)_ and she smiled widely when she heard the first notes of “every little thing she does is magic” playing. After the first chorus, however, Hyunjin’s arms gave up so she had to drop the speakers softly on the grass, rubbing her arms as she looked up at Heejin.

“I, uh- I have something to say!” Hyunjin shouted awkwardly, feeling more nervous when she saw Yerim laughing behind Heejin and her own friends giggling beside her.

“Well, Kim Hyunjin, I’m all ears,” Heejin said, confused as to what Hyunjin was doing there, frowning a bit when she noticed Jinsoul was just across the street.

Hyunjin’s mind went blank, forgetting the speech she had planned, but when she stared into Heejin’s eyes, even if it was from afar, she somehow knew all she needed to say.

“I have loved you since I can remember, Jeon Heejin, but only now I realize it. I loved you when we were kids and you stopped me from eating glue, and when I pushed that boy that tugged at your pigtails; I loved you when you went to cheer for me at that one softball game even if it was pouring, and when you hugged me and bought me a hamburger after I lost. I loved you a month ago when you stayed by my side even though I was a shitty friend, and I love you now, as I’m here telling you this, hoping you find it in yourself to love me back. And I will love you, Heejin, when our college entrance exams begin, and I’ll love you even if you pick a university far away from me; hell, I’ll probably follow you. And I’ll love you forever because you are the one constant in my life who was always there for me and who never let me down. I’m sorry I disappointed you, I’m sorry I hurt you. So, now I’m here, quite terrified, not gonna lie, to ask you the one thing I should have asked a long time ago. Jeon Heejin, would you be my girlfriend? If you say yes, I promise I will do my best to make you happy every single day for as long as you allow me to.”

The second Hyunjin was done, Heejin ran away from the window, and Hyunjin was ready to dig her own grave when three seconds later, Heejin dashed out the door and jumped into Hyunjin’s arms. The younger girl sigh relieved and hugged her friend back, not wanting to let her go again.

“So is that a yes?” Hyunjin asked hesitantly and Heejin grabbed her by her shirt and kissed her, trying to pour everything she was feeling into the kiss. It was messy, their teeth clashed together a little bit, but it was the best kiss Hyunjin could wish for. It was the first time either Heejin or Hyunjin had kissed a girl, and Heejin thought she never wanted to kiss anyone else if it wasn’t Hyunjin. When they pulled apart they rested their foreheads against each other, relishing in the other’s presence, until their bubble was burst by their squealing friends, jumping up and down in the street. Jinsoul looked smug, happy that her plan had worked. Chaewon, Hyejoo, and Yerim hugged both girls tightly, and Chaewon even yelled: “ _about freaking time!”_

Jinsoul hugged Hyunjin and ruffled her hair, making the younger girl pout, and Heejin realized being mad at Jinsoul had been stupid.

“You set all of this up?” Heejin asked, pressing her cheek against Hyunjin’s shoulder once the taller girl let her go.

“Yup, I should get business cards for my new gay cupid gig ‘cause I’m clearly good at this,” Jinsoul said shrugging, making Heejin roll her eyes. “Aw, you guys are so cute together, I can’t believe you had a crush on me when you had Heejin right there Hyun but, well, everything works out in the end.”

Hyunjin felt panic run over her body as she looked at Heejin somewhat terrified, but her girlfriend didn’t look upset, she actually looked quite amused.

“Wait, you knew?” Heejin asked chuckling.

“How could I not? Miss Kim right here is not what I would call subtle,” Jinsoul said pointing at a very red Hyunjin and laughing. “I think that’s the main reason why I decided to help her. I may not know you very well but you girls belong together, anyone can see that.”

Heejin smiled at Hyunjin and kissed her cheek, making Hyunjin feel shy and try to hide her smile on Heejin’s hair.

“Ok, lovebirds, unless you have something better to do, dinner is on me,” Jinsoul said walking towards her car, Chaewon, Hyejoo, and Yerim trailing behind her, excited at the prospect of free food.

“What do you think, babe? Should we go?” Hyunjin said, loving the way she made Heejin blush.

“Are you really questioning whether to go get free food or not? Are you sure you’re my Hyunjin?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything,” Hyunjin kissed Heejin sweetly and cursed Jinsoul when she honked from the car to hurry them.

“Wait, shouldn’t I get changed?” Hyunjin asked looking down at her way too formal clothes.

“No way, you’re never taking this off,” Heejin teased and dragged a way too pliant Hyunjin to the car.

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

//

 

Hyunjin threw her bag on her shoulder as she left the school’s gym, sweaty from her volleyball practice and eager to get home. She was leaving the building when two girls approached her, one of them pushing the other one as she seemed very shy.

“Hey, Hyunjin,” The girl said giggling and Hyunjin arched her eyebrow, wondering who she was.

“Hi, um, sorry but do I know you?”

“I don’t think so, I’m Yujin and, I don’t know, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out sometime or-” Before Yujin could finish her sentence, Hyunjin felt a pair of arms wrapping around her waist and a kiss on her cheek; she didn’t even need to turn around to know it was Heejin.

“Ready to go, baby?” Heejin asked passive-aggressively and Hyunjin felt bad for the girl in front of her, but she was kind of melting on her girlfriend’s arms, she knew she was a goner.

“Yes, love. Sorry, Yujin, maybe next time,” Hyunjin said as Heejin dragged her away still hugging her by the waist. Once they were far from the girl, Heejin started giggling.

“That was a bit mean, she’s just a kid,” Hyunjin said even though she was also laughing a little bit.

“Hhm well, now the kid knows you’re taken,” Heejin said kissing Hyunjin’s neck, making the younger girl shiver.

“Yah, Heekkie, I’m all sweaty and gross.”

“You know I love you regardless,” Heejin said looking up at Hyunjin with shining eyes, and Hyunjin pecked her lips briefly.

“Remind me again, how did I get so lucky?”

“I honestly don’t know, ‘cause I’m truly a catch,” Heejin teased an Hyunjin just rolled her eyes, even though she knew her girlfriend was right.

Hyunjin knew she was the luckiest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it, and as always, see you next time <3


End file.
